A  DISCOURSE 


DESIGNED  TO  COMMEMORATE 


THE  DISCOVERY  OF  NEW-YORK 


THE  NEW- YORK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY, 


THE  COMPLETION  OF  THE  SECOND  CENTURY 
SINCE  THAT  EVENT. 

BY  SAMUEL  MILLER,  D.  D. 

One  of  the  Pastors  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  City  of  New-Yovk, 


EY 


HENRY  HUDSON, 


DELIVERED  BEFORE 


SEPTEMBER  4,  1S09  ; 


BEING 


and  Member  of  the  Historical  Society. 


NEW-YORK: 
Printed  and  Published  by  I.  Riley. 
1810. 


SEYMOUR  DURST 

NEW-YORK  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 

September  4th,  1809. 

Resolved,  that  the  thanks  of  this  Society  be  pre- 
sented to  the  Reverend  Doctor  Miller,  for  his 
Discourse  delivered  this  day,  commemorative  of  the 
discovery  of  this  part  of  America  /^Hudson,  on  the 
4th  of  September,  1609  ;  and  that  he  be  requested  to 
furnish  a  copy  for  publication. 

Extract  from  the  minutes, 

JOHN  P1NTARD, 

Recording  Secretary. 


A  DISCOURSE,  &c. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Historical  Society, 

TO  trace  the  progress  of  discovery  and  migra- 
tion, is  one  of  the  most  curious  researches  in  the 
history  of  the  human  mind.  When  the  successive 
steps  of  this  progress  are  contemplated  in  general 
views,  and  at  distant  periods,  they  afford  high  grati- 
fication both  to  the  philanthropist  and  the  philosopher. 
But  when  they  are  considered  in  connection  with 
memorable  times,  places,  or  persons ;  when  we  are 
enabled  to  say,  on  this  day,  or,  on  this  spot,  some 
great  discovery,  or  some  signal  achievement,  was  ac- 
complished, we  experience  a  new  and  more  impres- 
sive emotion.  And  above  all,  when  events,  in  their 
own  nature  important,  stand  in  close  connection  with 
persons  or  places  particularly  related  or  endeared  to 
ourselves,  they  acquire  an  interest  of  the  highest 
kind. 

The  event  which  we  are  assembled  to  commemo- 
rate is  of  this  character.  It  is,  in  itself,  one  of  the 
most  important  that  occur  in  the  early  history  of  our 
country.  But  it  is  peculiarly  interesting  to  Ameri- 
cans ;  and  especially  so  to  every  citizen  of  our  our 
own  State.  The  second  century  is  this  day 
completed,  since  the  date  of  what  deserves  to  be  styled 
the  Discovery  of  New-York.  When  we  recol- 
lect this  ;  when  we  look  back  upon  the  scenes  which 
have  since  been  exhibited  upon  this  territory ;  and 
when  we  look  around  us,  and  contemplate  the  situa- 


1*1 


tion  and  prospects  which,  under  the  smiles  of  a  be- 
nignant Providence,  we  have  attained  ; — the  occasion 
is  surely  calculated  to  swell  the  mind  with  various 
and  deep  emotions. 

In  resolving  to  celebrate  this  day,  the  Historical 
Society  has  adopted  a  measure  which  was  due  to 
the  Occasion  and  to  itself.  And  happy  shall  I  be,  if, 
in  discharging  that  part  of  the  duty  which  devolves 
on  me,  I  shall  be  able  to  contribute,  in  the  smallest 
degree,  either  to  the  suitable  celebration  of  the  Anni- 
versary, or  to  the  entertainment  of  this  audience. 

In  undertaking  the  ta.-^k,  Gentlemen,  with  which 
you  have  been  please  d  to  honour  me,  I  have  suppo- 
sed that  the  plan  of  discourse  most  likely  to  fulfil  your 
wishes,  most  conformable  with  the  design  of  our  in- 
stitution, and  certainly  most  commensurate  with  my 
own  powers,  and  most  agreeable  to  my  own  taste, 
would  be  that  of  a  plain  historical  memoir.  Instead, 
therefore,  of  attempting  to  entertain  you  with  philo- 
sophical disquisition,  or  with  rhetorical  addresses  to 
the  imagination,  I  shall  confine  myself  to  a  simple  ac- 
count of  the  discovery  which  we  celebrate,  together 
with  some  of  the  circumstances  which  preceded  and 
followed  that  event.  And  if  the  plainness  of  unadorn- 
ed narrative  should  exercise  your  patience,  I  trust  the 
recollection,  that  you  are  listening  to  a  recital  of  well 
authenticated  facts,  which  took  place  two  centuries 
ago,  and  some  of  them  at  a  still  more  remote  period, 
near  the  spot  where  we  now  stand,  will  guard  you 
against  excessive  weariness. 

One  of  the  most  signal  proofs  of  the  low  state  of 
the  art  of  navigation,  and  of  the  extremely  narrow 
limits  of  human  intercourse,  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
is  to  be  found  in  the  fact,  that,  for  more  than  a  hundred 
years  after  the  discovery  of  the  American  continent, 
scarcely  any  thing  was  knowTn  of  North  America,  even 
by  the  most  enlightened  and  enterprising  nations  of 
the  earth.    But  these  are  not  the  only  reasons  to  be 


5 


assigned  for  the  slow  progress  of  discovery  and  of 
settlement,  in  this  portion  of  the  new  world.  The 
circumstances  in  which  the   principal  nations  of 
Europe  were  placed,  during  the  greater  part  of  the 
century  in  question,  were  peculiarly  unfavourable 
both  to  the  formation  and  execution  of  great  plans, 
for  the  advancement  of  human  knowledge,  and  ttie 
promotion  of  human  happiness.    England,*  through 
the  whole  of  this  period,  was  either  agitated  and 
weakened  by  intestine  broils,  or  exhausted  by  an 
unwise  interference  in  foreign  wars.    And  that  im- 
mense navy,  which  has  since  enabled  her  to  give  law 
to  the  ocean,  and  which  forms  a  new  wonder  of  the 
world,  had,  then,  scarcely  reached  even  the  infancy 
of  its  existence.f    During  the  same  period,  the 
strength  and  resources  of  France  were  so  much  wasted 
by  the  fruitless  expeditions  of  her  monarchs  into  Italy, 
by  an  unequal  contest  with  the  power  and  policy  of 
Charles  V.  and  by  the  civil  wars  by  which  she  was 
desolated  for  near  half  the  century,  that  she  could 
neither  bestow  much  attention  upon  objects  of  com- 
mercial enterprise,  nor  engage  with  spirit  in  plans  of 
distant  discovery.    Spain,  although  then  in  posses- 
sion of  a  navy  which  was  the  terror  of  Europe,  was 
either  so  much  occupied  with  European  wars,  or  so 
intent  on  prosecuting  her  discoveries  and  conquests 
in  South  America,  that  she  had  neither  leisure  nor 
inducement  to  think  of  directing  her  attention  to  this 
part  of  our  continent.    The  precious  metals  have  ever 
formed  one  of  the  most  attractive  objects  of  human 

% 

*  See  Robertson's  Historical  Disquisition  concerning  Ancient 
India,  sect.  4.  p.  154.  &c. 

t  "  Henry  VII.  expended  14,000/.  sterling  in  building  one 
ship,  called  the  Great  Harry.  This  was,  properly  speaking, 
the^m  shi}i  in  the  English  navy.  Before  this  period,  when 
the  prince  wanted  a  fleet,  he  had  no  other  expedient  than 
hiring  or  pressing  ships  from  the  merchants."  Hume,  vol.  3. 
chap.  26. 


G 


cupidity.  Soon  after  the  diseovery  of*  America,  the 
Spaniards  began  to  cherish  the  confident  hope  of 
finding  in  their  southern  possessions  immense  trea- 
sures of  silv  er  and  gold.  These  hopes  were  abundantly 
realized  by  the  diseovery  of  the  mines  of  Potosi,  in 
1545,  and  those'  of  Mexico  shortly  afterwards.  From 
that  period  every  object  appeared  insignificant  which 
was  not  connected  with  a  similar  allurement.  The 
United  Provinces  of  Holland,  recently  formed  into  an 
independent  nation,  and  struggling  with  many  diffi- 
culties, were  not,  as  yet,  in  a  situation  to  seek  im- 
portant objects  abroad.  And  Portugal,  then  in  the 
zenith  of  her  power,  was  exclusively  devoted  to  the 
lucrative  trade  of  India,  which  she  was  permitted  by 
the  surrounding  nations  almost  entirely  to  monopolize, 
for  near  a  century  after  the  famous  discovery  of  a  pas- 
sage to  that  country  by  Vasco  de  Gama.  The  trade 
of  India  displayed  attractions  greatly  beyond  any 
thing  that  this  portion  of  North  America  offered  to 
the  eye  of  the  adventurer.  The  spices,  the  precious  \ 
stones,  and  all  the  elegant  manufactures  of  the  east, 
were  justly  considered  as  more  certain  and  abundant 
sources  of  wealth  than  almost  any  other  part  of  the 
globe  could  promise. 

No  wonder,  then,  when  it  seems  to  have  been  early 
understood,  that  North  America  could  by  no  means 
vie  with  the  southern  part  of  our  continent  in  the 
precious  metals,  nor  with  India  in  her  various  elegant 
and  luxurious  productions  ;  no  wonder  that  the  chief  • 
ardour  of  discovery,  conquest  and  settlement  was  di- 
rected to  countries  of  richer  promise,  and  of  milder 
climate  than  these  latitudes  had  to  offer. 

The  first  account  which  we  have  of  this  part  of 
America  having  been  visited  by  European  navigators, 
is  found  in  the  voyage  of  John  and  Sebastian  Cabot.  < 
natives  of  Venice,  but  residing  in  England ;  who,  in 
the  year  1497,  in  the  service  of  Henry  VII.  and  in 
pursuit  of  a  north-west  passage,  are  said  to  have  sailed 
along  the  coast  of  North  America  from  the  67th  to 
1 


the  26th  degree  of  north  latitude.  But  although  the 
discover}-  of  Columbus  had  excited  much  interest  and 
conversation  in  the  court  of  Henry,  and  among  the 
merchants  of  En  gland ;  although  the  new  world  was 
considered  as  holding  out  the  grandest  objects  to 
human  enterprise,  both  on  account  of  its  own  riches, 
and  its  supposed  connection  with  a  new  and  short 
passage  to  the  East  Indies  ;  and  although  the  Cabots 
were  undoubtedly  navigators  of  enlarged  views  and 
of  uncommon  skill ;  yet  their  voyage  does  not  appear 
to  have  resulted  in  any  distinct  or  satisfactory  know- 
ledge, even  of  the  coast  along  which  they  sailed.  They 
do  not  appear  to  have  landed  any  where  during  this 
extensive  run,  nor  to  have  made  any  observations 
worthy  of  being  recorded.  It  is  not  certain  that  they 
even  scau  at  a  distance  any  part  of  the  coast  which  is 
now  New-  York.  They  certainly,  however,  sailed  by 
it,  and  probably  saw  it.  But  still  intent  on  the  long 
sought  passage  to  India,  and  meeting  with  nothing 
but  what  they  considered  as  an  obstacle  to  the  attain- 
ment of  their  wishes,  they  returned  to  England  with- 
out ascertaining  any  thing  more  than  the  existence  of 
a  western  continent. 

The  next  enterprise  worthy  of  notice  was  that  of 
John  de  Verrazzano,  a  Florentine,  in  the  service  of 
Francis  I.  of  France.  Verrazzano  had  been,  for 
some  time,  entrusted  with  the  command  of  four  ships, 
in  cruising  against  the  Spaniards.  These  vessels  be- 
ing separated  in  a  storm,  the  commander  resolved, 
with  one  of  them,  the  Dauphin,  to  undertake  a  voyage 
for  the  purpose  of  discovering  new  countries.  Ac- 
cordingly, on  the  17th  day  of  January,  in  the  year 
1524,  he  sailed  from  the  uninhabited  rocks  which  lie 
to  the  east  of  Madeira,  and  which  are  called  by  the 
English  the  Deserters,  and  steered  a  westerly  course. 
About  the  middle  of  March  he  arrived  on  the  Ame- 
rican coast,  in  latitude  34°  north;  of  consequence,  - 
near  that  part  of  North  Carolina  on  which  Wilming- 
ton now  stands.    From  that  point  of  the  coast  he  pro- 


8 


ceeded  further  south,  until  he  came  to  the  region  of 
palm  trees,  whieh  shows  that  he  sailed  at  least  as  far 
in  that  direction  as  the  southern  part  of  what  is  now 
the  state  of  Georgia,  to  the  north  of  which  the  palm 
tree  is  not  found.  He  then  turned  and  directed  his 
course  northward,  until  he  came  to  about  the  latitude 
of  41°  north,  where  he  entered  a  harbour  which,  from 
his  description,  has  been  thought  to  be  that  of  New- 
York. 

The  principal  information  which  we  have  concern- 
ing this  voyage,  is  contained  in  a  letter,  addressed  by 
Verrazzan'o  himself,  to  his  master,  Francis  I.  on  his 
return  to  Europe.    This  letter  has  been  happily  pre- 
served entire  by  Hakluyt*  whose  character  lor  ac- 
curacy and  fidelity  stands  too  high  to  admit  of  suspi- 
cion as  to  the  authenticity  of  the  document.  V crraz- 
zano  describes  the  harbour  in  the  following  manner. 
u  This  land  is  situated  in  the  paralele  of  Rome,  in  forty- 
one  degrees  and  two  terccs  ;  but  somewhat  more  colde 
by  accidental  causes.    The  mouth  of  the  haven  heth 
open  to  the  south,  halfe  a  league  broad,  and  being  eft- 
ted  within  it,  betweene  the  east  and  the  north,  it 
stretcheth  twelve  leagues,  where  it  wareth  broader 
and  broader,  and  makcth  a  gulfe  about  twenty  leagues 
in  compasse,  wherein  are  live  small  islands,  very 
fruitful  and  pleasant,  full  of  hie  and  broad  trees,  among 
the  whieh  islandes  any  great  navie  may  ride  safe,  with- 
out any  feare  of  tempest  or  other  danger."!  m 

If  we  suppose  Statcn  island,  and  Manhattan  island 
to  be  included  in  the  number  Jive  of  which  he  speaks, 
and  also  the  whole  of  the  waters  in  which  these 
islands  are  embosomed,  to  belong  to  the  "  gulph,^ 
which  he  represents  as  "  twenty  leagues  in  compass, 


*  Voyages,  Xavigations,  tfc.  collected  by  Richard  Hakluyt, 
Preacher,  and  sometime  Student  of  Christ  Church,  m  Oxford. 
Vol.  3.  p.  95.  folio,  1600. 


t  Hakluyt,  p.  300. 


9 


the  description  will  be  found  a  tolerably  accurate 
one,  and  to  apply  with  more  probability  to  the  har- 
bour of  New-  York  than  to  any  other.  * 

In  this  harbour  V errazzano  appears,  from  his  own 
account,  to  have  staid  about  fifteen  days.  He  and 
his  men  frequently  went  on  shore,  to  obtain  supplies, 
and  to  see  the  country.  He  says  expressly,  "  Some- 
times our  men  stayed  two  or  three  daies  on  a  little 
island  neere  the  ship,  for  divers  necessaries."  And 
again,  "  we  were  oftentimes  within  the  land  five 
or  six  leagues,  which  we  found  as  pleasant  as  is  pos- 
sible to  declare,  very  apt  for  any  kind  of  husbandry, 
of  corne,  wine,  and  oyle.  We  entered  afterwards 
into  the  woods,  which  we  found  so  great  and  thicke, 
that  any  army,  were  it  never  so  great,  might  have  hid 
itselfe  therein ;  the  trees  whereof  are  okes,  cipresse- 
trees,  and  other  sortes  unknowen  in  Europe." 

These  were,  probably,  the  first  European  feet  that 
ever  trod  on  any  part  of  the  territory  now  included 
within  the  State  of  New-York.  I  say  probably,  be- 
cause, after  all  that  has  been  discovered  and  said  of 
ancient  fortifications,  and  other  supposed  monuments 
of  more  than  savage  skill  and  cultivation,  found  in 
our  own  State  and  elsewhere,  I  consider  the  evidence 
which  they  furnish  as  by  far  too  obscure  and  doubtful 
to  warrant  us  in  assigning  to  them,  with  any  degree 
of  confidence,  a  European  origin. 

Verrazzano  appears  to  have  had  much  intercourse 
with  the  natives  of  the  country.    They  came  on 

*  Dr.  Belknap  says,  that  the  harbour  which  Verrazzano 
entered,  "  by  his  description,  must  be  that  of  New-York." 
Biography,  I.  p.  33.  Others  have  considered  the  whole  ac- 
count as  agreeing  better  with  the  harbour  of  Newport,  in 
Rhode-Island.  The  truth  is,  there  are  some  difficulties  to  be 
surmounted  in  applying  Verrazzano' *s  description  to  either. 
His  letter,  however,  will  be  published  entire  in  the  volume  of 
which  this  discourse  forms  a  part ;  and  every  reader  who  feels 
an  interest  in  the  inquiry,  will,  of  course,  examine  and  judge 
for  himself. 

B 


10 


board  of  his  ship  frequently  and  without  reserve  ; 
traded  with  him  freely  for  such  articles  as  he  needed ; 
and  generally  attended  his  men,  in  greater  or  smaller 
numbers,  whenever  they  went  on  shore.  He  de- 
scribes their  persons,  dress  and  customs,  in  a  manner 
remarkably  similar  to  that  of  Hudson,  near  a  century 
afterwards.  The  most  curious  circumstance  con- 
cerning them  is,  that  they  had,  among  other  orna- 
ments, plates  of  wrought  copper.*  How  these  were 
obtained  by  the  savages  at  that  early  period,  is  a 
question  which  the  antiquarian  may  find  some  diffi- 
culty in  solving.  It  is  possible  that  they  might  have 
been  procured  from  some  preceding  visitors  of  the 
country  from  Europe.  It  is  certain,  however,  that 
copper  instruments,  of  various  kinds,  were  in  use, 
j lot  only  among  the  Mexicans,  but  also  among  the 
natives  of  Florida,  before  the  discovery  of  the  coun- 
try by  Europeans.! 

From  the  harbour  of  J\'exv-  York,  V errazzano  sailed 
on  the  fifth  of  May,  and  directed  his  course  east  and 
north-east,  until  he  reached  the  56th  degree  of  north 
latitude,  or  about  the  coast  of  Labrador.  Thence  he 
sailed  tow  ai  ds  France,  where  he  arrived  in  the  month 
of  July,  on  the  eighth  day  of  which  month,  at  the 
port  of  Dieppe,  he  dated  his  letter  to  the  king,  giving 
an  account  of  his  voyage.  He  gave  to  the  whole 
country,  the  coast  of  which  he  had  visited,  and  partly 
explored,  the  name  of  New  France.  But  his  disco- 
ver}' (if  it  can  be  called  by  that  name)  does  not  ap- 
pear to  have  excited  the  least  attention,  nor  to  have 
served  as  a  guide  to  any  succeeding  navigator.  The 
truth  is,  his  voyage  having  neither  produced  nor  pro- 
mised any  addition  to  the  revenues  of  France,  all 

1 

*  K  Among  whom  we  saw  many  plates  of  wrought  cofifier, 
"  which  they  esteeme  more  than  gold,  which,  for  the  colour, 
"  they  make  no  account  of."    Hakluyt,  298. 

t  Pinkerton's  Geography,  vol.  2.  p.  401.    Philad.  edit. 


11 


further  attempts  to  pursue  his  discovery  were  laid 
aside,  and  the  very  memory  of  it  almost  permitted  to 
perish.  It  is  distressing  to  add,  that,  according  to 
some  writers,  Verrazzano,  in  a  subsequent  voyage, 
was  cut  to  pieces  and  devoured  by  the  savages.* 

After  the  voyage  of  Verrazzano,  nearly  a  century 
elapsed  before  the  least  addition  was  made  to  the 
knowledge  of  this  part  of  the  American  continent. 
On  the  discoveries  of  the  English  in  Virginia,  and  of 
the  French  in  Canada,  there  is  not  now  time  to  dwell. 
In  the  year  1609,  occurred  that  important  event, 
which  we  this  day  commemorate  ;  and  which,  con- 
sidered in  all  its  circumstances,  deserves  to  be  styled 
the  discovery  of  what  is  now  called  New  York. 

The  author  of  this  discovery  was  HenryHudsox, 
a  native  of  Great  Britain.  It  is  to  be  lamented  that 
nothing  is  known  concerning  the  birth,  the  education, 
pr  the  early  history  of  this  celebrated  navigator.  It 
is  fairly  to  be  presumed,  however,  from  the  magnitude 
and  difficulty  of  the  enterprises  entrusted  to  his  ma- 
nagement, not  only  in  his  own  country,  but  elsewhere, 
that  he  was  highly  esteemed  ;  and  that  he  had  given 
indubitable  proofs  of  his  intrepidity,  skill,  and  mari- 
time experience. 


*  Belknafi }s  American  Biografihy,  vol.   I.  p-  159.  Charle~ 
voix,  however,  considers  this  story  as  not  resting  on  sufficient  « 
evidence.    He  says  that  Verrazzano,  "  a  short  time  after  his 
arrival  in  France,  fitted  out  another  expedition,  with  the  de- 
sign of  establishing  a  colony  in  America.    All  that  we  know 
of  this  enterprise  is,  that,  having  embarked,  he  was  never 
seen  more,  and  that  it  never  has  been  ascertained  what  be- 
came of  him."    Hist.  JVbuv.  France,  1.  7.    On  the  other 
hand,  Ramusio  very  positively  asserts,  that  when  Verrazzano 
landed,  he  and  the  people  who  went  ashore  with  him,  were  cut 
to  pieces  and  devoured  by  the  savages,  in  the  sight  of  the  rest 
of  the  crew,  who  had  remained  on  board  the  ship,  and  were 
unable  to  rescue  their  companions.    Dr.  Forster  quotes  this 
account  with  approbation.   Xorthern  Voyages,  436. 


12 


The  question,  whether  Hudson  was  probably  ac- 
quainted with  the  voyage  of  Verrazzano,  will  natu- 
rally arise.  It  is  certain  that  Hakluyfs  volume, 
which  contains  the  account  of  that  voyage,  was  pub- 
lished in  England  about  nine  years  before  the  date 
of  Hudson's  discovery.  But  there  is  no  other  cir- 
cumstance, now  known,  which  gives  the  least  reason 
to  suppose  that  he  was  acquainted  with  the  publica- 
tion, or  which  at  all  impairs  his  claim  to  the  cha- 
racter of  an  original  discoverer. 

Hudson  is  known  to  have  performed  two  voyages, 
of  great  importance,  prior  to  that  in  w  hich  he  disco- 
vered our  harbour,  and  the  river  which  has  been 
since  called  by  his  name.  Notwithstanding  all  the 
fruitless  attempts  which  had  been  made  to  find  a 
passage  to  India  by  the  north,  the  hope  of  still  being 
able  to  find  such  a  passage  was  by  no  means  aban- 
doned. Among  those  who  considered  such  a  disco- 
very as  practicable,  and  as  worthy  of  a  spirited  at- 
tempt, was  an  association  of  wealthy  and  enterprising 
merchants  of  the  city  of  London.  Having,  with  great 
liberality,  raised  funds  for  the  purpose,  they  fitted 
out  a  ship,  and  gave  the  command  of  the  expedition 
to  Hudson.  He  sailed  from  Gravesend,  on  the  first 
day  of  May,  in  the  year  1607.  In  this  voyage,  he 
explored  the  eastern  coast  of  Greenland,  to  a  greater 
extent  than  any  preceding  navigator,  and  discovered 
the  island  of  Spitzbergen.  But  failing  of  his  princi- 
pal object,  he  returned  to  England,  where  he  arrived 
on  the  15th  day  of  September,  in  the  same  year. 

It  is  highly  gratifying  to  know,  that,  in  our  inqui- 
ries concerning  the  voyages  and  discoveries  of  Hud- 
son, we  are  not  left  to  be  guided  by  conjecture  or 
fable.  The  journals  of  four  of  his  voyages  are  ex- 
tant in  Purchases  Pilgrim.*    Of  these,  the  third  is 


*Purchas's  Pilgrim,  vol.  3.  p.  567.  597.    Fol.  1625- 


13 


that  in  which  we  are  more  particularly  interested.* 
From  this  authentic  source,  the  principal  facts  which 
I  am  to  lay  before  you  are  derived. 

Hudson,  having  sought  in  vain  the  long  wished 
for  passage,  by  sailing  directly  north,  the  same  asso- 
ciation in  whose  service  he  had  made  the  first  voyage, 
resolved  to  make  another  attempt,  the  object  of  which 
was  to  find  a  passage  by  the  north-east.  Accord- 
ingly, the  next  year  they  fitted  out  another  ship  ;  and 
were  so  well  satisfied  with  the  fidelity  and  skill  dis- 
played by  Hudson,  that  they  entrusted  him  with  the 
command  of  the  second  expedition.  He  sailed  from 
England  on  the  22d  of  April,  1608  :  but  failing  in 
his  object,  as  before,  he  returned  to  his  native  coun- 
try, after  spending  on  this  second  enterprise  about 
four  months. 

Hudson,  after  accomplishing  his  second  voyage, 
went  over  to  Holland,  and,  for  what  reason  is  now 
unknown,  engaged  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch. 
Their  famous  East-India  Company  had  been  incor- 
porated about  seven  years  before,  with  a  capital  of  six 
millions  and  a  half  of  florins,  and  with  powers  more 
extensive  than  were  ever  before  granted  to  a  trading 
corporation.  This  company  determined  to  fit  out  a 
ship  for  discovery,  and  to  entrust  Hudson  with  the 
command  of  the  expedition.  The  ship  which  they 
engaged  for  this  purpose  was  a  small  one.  Dr.  Forster 
calls  it  a  yacht. \  It  was  named  the  Half  Moon ;  and 
is  said  to  have  been  navigated  by  twenty  men,  Dutch 
and  English.  In  this  vessel,  Hudson  left  Amsterdam 
on  the  4th,  and  the  Texel  on  the  6th  of  April)  in  the 
year  1609. 

*  The  journal  of  this  voyage  was  kept,  apparently,  with 
great  fidelity  and  accuracy,  by  Robert  Juet,  the  mate  of  the 
ship.    Vol.  3.  p.  581.  595. 

f  History  of  Voyages  and  Discoveries  made  in  the  North,  42 ! , 


14 


The  original  design  of  Hudson  in  this  voyage,  was 
not  to  visit  America.  He  was  still  intent  on  discover- 
ing a  passage  to  India,  and  hoped  to  succeed  by  sailing 
to  the  north-west.  Having  attempted  this,  without 
success,  he  formed  the  resolution  of  visiting  the  New 
World.  He  arrived  on  the  American  coast,  on  the 
18th  of  July,  in  latitude  44  degrees  north,  at  or  near 
the  place  where  Portland,  in  the  district  of  Maine, 
now  stands.  Here  he  found  a  harbour,  landed,  and 
remained  about  six  days,  for  the  purpose  of  replacing 
a  foremast,  which  he  had  lost  in  a  storm  several  weeks 
before.  The  natives  at  this  place,  appear  to  have  re- 
ceived and  treated  Hudson  with  great  inoftensiveness, 
and  even  with  hospitality  ;  in  return  for  which,  lie 
and  his  men,  without  the  least  provocation,  shame- 
fully plundered  their  property,  and  violently  drove 
them  from  their  habitations.*  This  conduct  speedily 
brought  on  a  state  of  warfare,  which  obliged  him  to 
weigh  anchor  and  put  to  sea.  The  natives  whom 
he  found  in  this  latitude,  were  evidently  in  the  habit  of 
trading  with  the  French.  They  not  only  asserted 
themselves  that  this  was  the  case  ;  but  many  articles 
of  French  manufacture  were  actually  found  among 
them  ;  and  some  of  them  had  a  smattering  of  the 
French  language. 

Pursuing  his  course  southward,  Hudson  came  to 
Cape  Cod  about  the  3d  of  August,  and  landed  there. 
After  this,  he  continued  to  sail  to  the  southward  and 


*  The  account  which  the  journal  gives  of  this  transactions 
though  short,  is  sufficiently  pointed  and  comprehensive  to  jus- 
tify all  the  language  I  have  used.  Without  any  preceding  re- 
cord of  ill  treatment  received  from  the  Indians,  but  the  con- 
trary, it  states — "  The  five  and  twentieth  day  of  July,  very  faire 
M  eather,  and  hot ;  in  the  morning  we  well  manned  our  scute 
with  foure  muskets,  and  sixe  men,  and  took  one  of  their  shal- 
lops, and  brought  it  aboord.  Then  we  manned  our  boat  and 
scute  with  twelve  men  and  muskets,  and  two  stone  pieces  or 
murderers,  and  drave  the  salvages  from  their  houses,  and  took 
the  spoyle  of  them,  as  they  would  have  done  of  us." 
1 


15 


westward  for  one  and  twenty  days,  "  making  remarks 
on  the  soundings  and  currents,"  until  he  came  to  the 
entrance  of  Chesapeake  Bay,  about  the  24th  of  Au- 
gust. This  was  the  furthest  point  of  his  progress 
southward.  On  his  return  along  the  coast,  on  the 
28th  of  August,  he  discovered  the  bay  now  called 
Delaware,  into  the  mouth  of  which  he  entered,  exa- 
mining the  soundings  and  currents,  and  marking  the 
appearance  of  the  country  ;  but  does  not  appear  to 
have  landed. 

During  the  six  following  days,  Hudson  pursued 
his  northerly  course,  until,  on  the  3d  day  of  Septem- 
ber, he  anchored  within  Sandy  Hook,  which  his  jour- 
nal, with  almost  entire  accuracy,  states  to  be  in  40°  30' 
north  latitude.  The  next  day,  the  4th  of  Septem- 
ber, he  sent  a  boat  on  shore  for  the  purpose  of  fishing. 
The  tradition  is,  that  his  men  first  landed  on  Coney 
island,  which  lies  near  to  Long  island,  and  now  makes 
a  part  of  King^s  county.  On  the  same  day  the  na- 
tives came  on  board  of  his  ship,  as  she  lay  at  anchor, 
conducting  themselves  with  great  apparent  friendli- 
ness, and  discovering  a  strong  disposition  to  barter 
the  produce  of  their  country  for  knives,  beads, 
clothes,  and  other  articles  of  a  similar  kind.  The 
next  day,  the  5th  of  September,  Hudson  again  sent  his 
boat  on  shore,  for  the  purpose,  as  appears  from  the 
journal,  of  exploring  and  sounding  die  waters  lying 
to  the  south,  within  Sandy  Hook,  and  forming  what 
is  now  called  the  Horse-  Shoe.  Here  the  boat's  crew 
landed,  and  penetrated  some  distance  into  the  woods, 
in  what  is  now  Monmouth  county,  in  New-Jersey. 
They  were  well  received  by  the  natives,  who  pre- 
sented them  very  kindly  with,  what  the  journal  calls 
"  green  tobacco,"  and  also  with  "  dried  currants,"* 

*  These  were  probably  whortleberries,  or  some  other  wild 
berries,  of  a  similar  kind,  which  the  Indians  were  accustomed 
to  dry. 


16 


which  are  represented  as  having  been  found  in  great 
plenty,  and  of  a  very  excellent  quality. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  Hudson  sent  a  boat, 
manned  with  five  hands,  to  explore  what  appeared 
to  be  the  mouth  of  a  river,  at  the  distance  of  about 
four  leagues  from  the  ship.  This  was,  no  doubt, 
the  strait  between  Long  and  Stolen  islands,  gene- 
rally called  the  Narrows.  Here  the  writer  of  the 
journal  observes,  "  a  good  depth  of  water  was  found," 
and,  within,  a  large  opening,  and  a  narrow  river  to 
the  west,  in  which  it  is  evident  he  refers  to  what  is 
now  called  the  Kills,  or  the  channel  between  Bergen- 
Neck  and  Staten  island.  In  exploring  the  bay,  and 
the  adjacent  waters,  the  boat's  crew  spent  the  whole 
day.  On  their  way  in  returning  to  the  ship,  towards 
night,  they  were  attacked  by  the  natives  in  two  ca- 
noes ;  the  one  carrying  fourteen  men,  the  other 
twelve.  A  skirmish  ensued,  in  which  one  of  Hud- 
son's men,  named  John  Column,  was  killed,  by  an  ar- 
row, which  struck  him  in  the  throat,  and  two  more 
wounded.  The  next  day,  the  remains  of  Colman 
were  interred  on  a  point  of  land  not  far  from  the  ship, 
which,  from  that  circumstance,  received  the  name  of 
Colman' 's  Point ;  and  which  was  probably  the  same 
that  is  now  called  Sandy  Hook. 

On  the  eighth,  ninth  and  tenth  days  of  Septem- 
ber, Hudson  still  cautiously  rode  at  anchor  without 
the  Narrows,  and  seems  to  have  been  chiefly  em- 
ployed in  trading  with  the  natives,  anel  in  guarding 
against  any  insidious  attacks  which  might  have  been 
meditated  by  them,  and  which  he  evidently  feared. 
On  the  eleventh,  he  sailed  through  the  Narrows,  and 
found,  as  the  writer  of  the  journal  expresses  it,  "  a 
very  good  harbour  for  all  winds."  On  the  twelfth, 
he  first  entered  the  River  which  bears  his  name,  and 
sailed  up  about  two  leagues.  On  these  two  days, 
the  ship  was  visited  by  great  numbers  of  the  natives, 
who  brought  Indian  corn,  tobacco,  beans  and  oysters  I 
in  abundance,  and  exchanged  them  for  such  trifles  as 


17 


the  ship's  company  were  disposed  to  barter.  They 
had  pipes  of  "  yellow  copper"*  in  which  they 
smoked.  They  had  also  various  ornaments  of  cop-  v 
per  ;  and  earthen  pots,  in  which  they  dressed  their 
meat.  But,  although  they  were  "  civil,"  as  the  wri- 
ter of  the  journal  tells  us,  and  "  made  shew  of  love," 
Hudson  did  not  think  proper  to  trust  them  ;  and 
would  by  no  means  suffer  any  of  them  to  remain  on 
board  during  the  night. 

From  the  twelfth  to  the  twenty- second  of  Septem- 
ber, Hudson  was  employed  in  ascending  the  river. 
The  journal  represents  it  in  general,  as  about  a  mile 
wide,  and  of  a  good  depth  ;  abounding  with  fish, 
among  which  were  "  great  store  of  salmons." -\  As 
he  advanced,  he  found  the  lands  on  both  sides  grow- 
ing higher,  until  it  became  "  very  mountainous.' 5 
This  high  land,  it  is  observed,  "  had  many  points ; 
the  channel  was  narrow  ;  and  there  were  many  eddy 
winds."  In  his  passage  up  the  river  the  natives  fre- 
quently came  on  board  of  his  ship,  and  sometimes  in 
considerable  numbers,  but  always  in  an  amicable 
manner  .J 

*  The  journal,  in  another  place,  says  their  pipes  were  of 

«  red  coflfier." 

f  See  Ajifiendix,  note  A. 

^  The  Indians  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  river  were  called 
Mahiccans  ;  or,  as  the  Dutch  styled  them,  Molnckanders. 
These  are  the  people  of  whom  De  Laet  speaks,  under  the 
name  of  Mankikani,  and  whom  he  represents  as  inhabiting  the 
eastern  banks  of  the  north  river.  In  his  map  of  "  JVbva  Angl/a, 
Novum  Belgium,  et  Virginia''  he  calls  them  Mahicani.  See  his 
Novus  Orbis,  seu  Descrifitionis  India  Occidentalism  p.  73.  folio, 
1633.  Of  the  Mahiccans  but  a  small  number  remain.  The 
greater  part  of  these  are  settled  at  Oneida  in  the  state  of  New- 
York.  See  Barton's  New  Views  of  the  Origin  of  the  Tribes  and 
Nations  of  America,  8vo.  1798,  2d  edit.  Preliminary  Discourse, 
p.  31,  32.  The  Indians  inhabiting  the  western  bank  of  the 
river,  from  its  mouth  to  the  Kaat's-Kill  mountains,  went  under 

c 


18 


Hudson  appears  to  have  sailed  up  the  river  a  little 
above  where  the  city  of  Hudson  now  stands ;  and  be- 
yond that  point  he  himself  never  ascended.  Not 
considering  it  as  safe  to  proceed  further  with  his  ship, 
he  sent  a  boat,  with  five  hands,  (the  mate,  who  had  the 
command  of  the  expedition,  being  one,)  to  explore, 
and  sound  the  river  higher  up.  The  boat  proceeded 
eight  or  nine  leagues  beyond  where  the  ship  lay  at 
anchor  ;  but  finding  the  soundings  extremely  irregu- 
lar, and  the  depth,  in  some  places,  not  more  than  seven 
feet,  it  was  judged  unadvisable  to  attempt  any  fur- 
ther progress.  It  is  evident,  from  the  whole  account, 
that  the  boat  went  as  far  as  where  the  city  of  Albany 
now  stands. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  the  further  they  went  up 
the  river,  the  more  friendly  and  hospitable  the  natives 
appeared.  After  they  had  passed  the  highlands,  the 
writer  of  the  journal  observes,  "  There  we  found  a 
very  loving  people,  and  very  old  men  ;  and  were  well 
used."  On  the  eighteenth  of  September,  when  the 
ship  was  lying  about  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  be- 
low the  present  situation  of  Albany  *  "  the  mate," 
it  is  further  observed,  "  went  on  shore  with  an  old 
savage,  a  governor  of  the  country,  who  took  him  to 
his  house,  and  made  him  good  cheer."  At  this 
place  the  savages  flocked  on  board  the  ship  in  con- 
siderable numbers,  bringing  with  them  corn,  tobacco, 
pumpkins  and  grapes,  and  some  of  them  beaver  and 
otter  skins,  which  they  exchanged  for  hatchets, 
knives,  beads,  and  other  trifles.  On  the  twentieth 
of  September,  Hudson  and  his  crew,  for  the  purpose 

the  general  name  of  the  Sankikani.  De  Laet  speaks  of  these 
Indians  as  the  "  infensissimi  /wstes"  of  the  Manhattce,  or  Mana- 
thanes,  a  fierce  tribe,  who  inhabited  the  eastern  bank  of  the 
river,  near  its  mouth.  Aovus  Orbis^  p.  72. 

*  The  Indian  name  of  the  spot  on  which  Albany  now 
stands,  was  Skenectadea.  See  djificndix,  note  B. 


19 


of  making  an  experiment  on  the  temper  of  the  In- 
dians, attempted  to  make  a  number  of  their  principal 
men  drunk.  But,  though  they  "  were  all  merry,"  as 
the  journalist  expresses  it,  only  one  of  them  appears 
to  have  been  completely  intoxicated.  This  pheno- 
menon excited  great  surprise  and  alarm  among  his 
companions.  They  knew  not  what  to  make  of  it. 
And  it  was  not  until  the  next  day,  when  he  had  com- 
pletely recovered,  that  they  became  composed  and 
satisfied.  This,  so  far  as  we  know,  was  the  first  in- 
stance  of  intoxication  by  ardent  spirits,  among  the 
Indians,  on  this  part  of  the  American  continent.  It 
is  very  remarkable,  that  among  the  six  nations,  there 
is  a  tradition  still  very  distinctly  preserved,  of  a  scene 
of  intoxication  which  occurred  with  a  company  of 
the  natives  when  the  first  ship  arrived.  Alas  !  that 
scenes  of  this  nature  should  have  since  become  so  fa- 
tally familiar  and  common  among  their  miserable 
posterity  !  How  large,  and  how  melancholy  a  chapter 
the  effects  of  this  poison  have  since  formed  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  debasement  and  destruction  of  these  tribes, 
I  need  not  remind  this  audience. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  the  month,  confidence  on 
the  part  of  the  natives  being  restored,  a  number  of 
their  chiefs  came  on  board  the  ship  as  she  lay  at  an- 
chor. This  interview  the  writer  of  the  journal  de- 
scribes in  the  following  manner  :  "  At  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  they  came  on  board,  and  brought  to- 
bacco and  beans,  and  gave  them  to  our  master,  and 
made  an  oration,  and  shewed  him  all  the  country 
round  about.  Then  they  sent  one  of  their  company 
on  land,  who  presently  returned,  and  brought  a  great 
platter  full  of  venison,  dressed  by  themselves ;  and 
they  caused  him  to  eat  with  them.  Then  they  made 
him  reverence,  and  departed." 

On  the  twenty-third  of  September,  Hudson  began 
to  descend  the  river.  On  his  way  down,  his  men 
frequently  went  on  shore  and  had  several  very  friendly 
interviews  with  the  natives ;  who  expressed  a  desire 


20 


that  they  might  reside  among  them  ;  and  made  them 
an  offer  of  lands  for  that  purpose.  But  when  the  ship 
came  below  the  highlands,  the  savages  appeared  to  be 
of  a  different  character,  and  were  extremely  trouble- 
some ;  especially  those  who  inhabited  the  western 
side  of  the  river.  They  attempted  to  rob  the  ship  ; 
and  repeatedly  shot  at  the  crew,  with  bows  and  arrows, 
from  several  points  of  land.  Hudson' }s  men  dis- 
charged a  number  of  muskets  at  the  in,  and  killed  te  n 
or  twelve  of  them.  In  these  conflicts,  which  were 
frequently  renewed  during  the  first  and  second  days 
oi  October,  none  of  the  ship's  crew  appear  to  have 
been  injured.  The  land  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
river,  near  its  mouth,  was  called  by  the  natives 
"  Manna- hata." 

On  the  fourth  day  of  October,  (just  one  month 
from  the  da}'  on  which  he  first  landed  within  Sandy- 
Hi  ok,)  Hudson  came  out  of  the  river  which  bears  his 
name  ;  and,  without  anchoring  in  the  bay,  imme- 
diately stood  out  to  sea.  By  twelve  o'clock  at  noon 
of  that  day,  he  was  entirely  clear  of  land.  He  steer- 
ed directly  for  Europe ;  and  on  the  seventh  of  No- 
vember following,  he  "  arrived,"  as  the  writer  of 
the  journal  expresses  it,  u  in  the  range  of  Dartmouth, 
in  Devonshire."    Here  the  journal  ends. 

Whether  Hudson  immediately  landed  in  England, 
or,  from  the  coast  of  Devonshire,  directed  his  course 
to  Holland ;  whether  he  sold  the  country  which  he 
had  discovered,  or  at  least  his  right  to  it,  to  the  Dutch 
government,  or  to  the  East-India  Company,  as  some 
have  asserted ;  or  whether  the  company  considered 
its  discovery  by  a  man  in  their  service  as  vesting  in 
them  a  sufficient  title  ;  are  questions  which  it  is  im- 
possible now  to  answer,  as  the  journal  gives  no  in- 
formation concerning  the  transactions  between  him 
and  his  Dutch  employers.  Dr.  Forster  asserts,  that 
he  offered  to  undertake  another  voyage  in  their  service, 
but  that  they  declined  it ;  upon  which  he  returned 


21 


to  England,  and  again  entered  into  the  service  of  the 
company  which  had  before  employed  him. 

It  is  natural  to  feel  some  curiosity  respecting  the 
*  subsequent  life  and  fortunes  of  the  discoverer  of 

New-York,  Like  his  predecessor  Verrazzano,  he 
came  to  a  miserable  end.  But  while  Verrazzano  is 
said  to  have  perished  by  the  hands  of  savages,  Hud- 
son fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  more  than  savage  cruelty  of 
his  own  countrymen  and  companions.  The  next 
year  after  his  departure  from  our  harbour,  he  under- 
took a  fourth  voyage,  still  in  quest  of  a  passage  to 
India  by  the  north-west.  This  voyage  was,  through- 
out, an  unfortunate  one.  He  left  England  in  April, 
1610,  and  reached  the  American  coast  early  in  the 
summer.  He  soon  discovered  the  great  northern  Bay 
which  bears  his  name.  There,  after  an  unwise  delay, 
he  was  compelled  to  pass  a  distressing  and  dangerous 
winter.  In  the  spring,  in  addition  to  all  his  other 
misfortunes,  he  found  a  spirit  of  dissatisfaction  and 
mutiny  growing  among  his  crew,  and,  at  length, 
manifesting  itself  in  open  violence.  This  proceeded 
so  far,  that  on  the  twenty-second  of  June,  1611,  a 
majority  of  the  crew  rose,  took  the  command  of  the 
ship,  put  Hudson,  his  son,  and  seven  others,  most  of 
whom  were  sick  or  lame,  into  a  boat,  turned  them 
adrift  in  the  ocean,  and  abandoned  them  to  their  fate. 
They  never  were  heard  of  more. 

Hudson  did  not  give  his  own  name  to  the  river 
which  he  discovered.  The  Iroquois  Indians  called  it 
Cahohatatea.  The  Mahiccans,  Mahakaneghtuc,  and 
sometimes  Shatemuck.*  Hudson  styled  it,  emphatical- 
ly, the  "  Great  River"  or  the  "  Great  River  of  the 
Mountains ,"t  no  doubt  from  the  extraordinary  cir- 
cumstance of  such  a  body  of  water  flowing  through 
the  mountains  without  a  cataract.    The  name  of  its 

*  See  Appendix,  Note  B. 

t  This  name  is  said  by  some  to  have  been  of  Spanish  origin. 


22 


Discoverer,  however,  was  early  attached  to  it.  I  find 
it  familiarly  called  Hudson's*  River  in  some  of  the 
public  documents  of  the  Dutch  colonial  government ; 
but  more  frequently  the  North  River,  to  distinguish 
it  from  the  Delaware,  which  was  discovered  by  the 
same  navigator,  and  which,  being  within  the  territory 
claimed  by  the  Dutch,  was  called  by  them  the  South 
River, 

The  Dutch  immediately  began  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  advantage  which  the  discovery  of  Hudson  pre- 
sented to  their  view.  In  the  year  1610,  it  appears 
that  at  least  one  ship  was  sent  hither  by  the  East-In- 
dia Company,  for  the  purpose  of  trading  in  furs, 
which,  it  is  well  known,  continued,  for  a  number  of 
years,  to  be  the  principal  object  of  commercial  at- 
traction to  this  part  of  the  Hew  world.  In  1614,  a 
fort  and  trading  house  were  erected  near  the  spot  on 
which  Albany  now  stands,  and  called  Fort  Orange  ;\ 
and,  about  the  same  time,  another  fort  and  trading 
house  were  established  on  the  south-west  point  of 
Manhattan  island,  and  called  New -Amsterdam.  The 
whole  colony  received  the  name  of  New-Nether- 
lands. 

*  There  is  reason  to  believe,  that  this  name,  though  soon 
adopted  by  the  Dutch,  was  first  applied  by  the  English;  pro- 
bably as  a  part  of  their  system  for  assuming  the  discovery  and 
the  property  of  the  country  to  themseive^. 

t  Some  of  the  early  Dutch  writers  inform  us,  that  the  Man- 
hattan Indians  were,  at  first,  so  full  of  suspicion,  and  so  de- 
cidedly hostile  to  the  Dutch  traders  who  came  hither,  that  the 
latter  were  unable  to  purchase  any  land  on  Manhattan  island, 
and  were  discouraged  from  attempting  a  settlement.  For  this 
reason,  it  is  said,  the  first  fort  and  trading  house  were  erected 
on  a  small  island  in  the  river,  about  half  a  mile  below  where 
the  city  of  rflbany  now  stands.  This  little  settlement  appears 
to  have  been  made  in  1614.  Towards  the  latter  part  of  the 
same  year,  or  in  the  course  of  the  next,  it  seems  that  ground 
was  obtained,  and  a  small  trading  house  and  fort  erected  on 
Manhattan  island. 


I 


23 


To  dwell  longer,  at  present,  on  the  circumstances 
attending  the  early  settlement  of  this  colony,  would 
be  an  unseasonable  trespass  on  your  time  and  patience, 
especially  as  I  trust  this  task  will  be  more  success- 
fully performed,  hereafter,  by  my  successors  in  the 
anniversary  task  which  we  have  this  day  commenced. 
To  trace  the  gradual  advances  of  the  colony,  from 
small  beginnings,  to  wealth,  power,  and  universal  im- 
provement— To  mark  the  circumstances  which  at- 
tended its  commencement  and  progress,  and  thence 
to  deduce  the  causes  of  any  peculiar  features  which 
may  appear  in  our  national  character — To  exhibit,  in 
contrast,  a  territory,  two  hundred  years  ago  occupied 
by  a  few  wandering,  uncultivated  tribes,  with  the  same 
territory,  now  filled  with  a  civilized  population  of 
more  than  eight  hundred  thousand  souls — 
To  contemplate  a  River,  whose  waters,  before  the 
ascent  of  Hudson,  had  never  borne  on  their  majestic 
surface  any  other  vessels  than  the  canoes  of  savages, 
now  annually  wafting  many  thousand  rich  cargoes, 
and  pouring  into  our  Capital  the  wealth  of  kingdoms — 
To  mark  the  growth  of  our  City,  from  a  few  mise- 
rable trading  huts,  which,  for  a  number  of  years  af- 
ter the  discovery,  formed  but  a  single  street,  of  small 
extent,  until  it  has  become  the  fourth,  if  not  the  thirds 
trading  town  in  the  world — In  a  word,  to  describe  the 
progress  of  a  feeble  colony,  contending  with  unsub- 
dued forests,  with  ferocious  beasts,  with  savage  men, 
and  with  all  the  hardships  of  a  dreary  wilderness,  un- 
til they  rose  to  a  great,  powerful,  and  independent 
State,  enriched  with  an  immense  property,  adorned 
with  the  elegant  arts,  and,  above  all,  blessed  with  the 
inestimable  privileges  of  the  Religion  of  Jesus  Christ : — 
These  are  the  splendid  subjects  which  lie  before  our 
future  annual  orators  ;  and  in  the  discussion  of  which 
we  may  anticipate  equal  instruction  and  delight, 

I  have  only  to  add,  Gentlemen,  my  fervent  wishes 
for  the  prosperity  and  success  of  our  Society.  That 
the  objects  of  our  association  are  both  laudable  and 


24 


important,  none  who  are  acquainted  with  them  can 
doubt.  Those,  especially,  who  have  any  know- 
ledge of  the  difficulty  attending  the  collection  of 
historical  documents  by  unassisted  individuals,  instead 
of  undervaluing  our  plan,  will  rather  be  disposed  to 
regret  that  a  similar  institution  had  not  been  formed 
a  century  ago.  That  our  fellow-citizens,  when  our 
design  shall  become  better  known,  will  do  us  the 
justice  to  notice,  encourage,  and  aid  our  exertions,  I 
cherish  the  most  entire  confidence.  And  that  we 
shall  endeavour  to  deserve  and  attract  their  fostering 
regard,  by  exhibiting,  from  time  to  time,  the  fruits  of 
our  labours,  I  cannot  permit  myself  for  a  moment  to 
question.  May  every  successive  return  of  our  Anni- 
versary find  us  more  active  and  useful ;  our  City  more 
flourishing ;  and  our  State  more  enlightened,  pros- 
perous and  happy  ! 


25 


APPENDIX. 

The  following  communications  from  Dr.  MitchilL  to 
the  writer  of  the  preceding  discourse  are  too  in- 
structive and  interesting  to  be  withheld  from  its 
readers  : 

(Note  A.) 

Albany,  March  4,  1810. 

Reverend  and  learned  sir, 

Concerning  the  frequency  of  salmon  in  the  river 
Cahohatatea  or  Mahaganeghtuc,  when  first  visited  by 
the  navigator  Hudson,  I  have  my  doubts  as  to  its 
correctness.  That  fish  has,  indeed,  been  taken  in 
this  river,  and  even  in  the  vicinity  of  Albany.  But 
this  is  a  rare  occurrence  ;  and  the  individuals  of  this 
kind  that  have  been  caught  are  solitary,  and  not  the 
gregarious  salmons  swimming  in  shoals.  I  have 
conversed  with  several  persons  here,  who  have  seen 
a  few  of  these  lonesome  and  straggling  fishes,  from 
time  to  time,  as  they  have  been  brought  to  market. 

I  cannot  learn  that  there  is  any  record  or  tradition, 
of  their  having  ever  frequented  our  river,  after  the 
manner  of  the  Connecticut,  the  Kennebeck,  and  the 
other  streams  on  this  continent.  Salmon  love  clear 
and  limpid  water,  as  do  all  the  species  of  the  trout 
family,  to  which  they  belong;  and  I  should  question 
•  much  whether  the  ooze  and  mud  of  the  Cahohatatea 
was  so  agreeable  to  them,  as  the  sandy  bottoms  of  the 
more  precipitous  and  rapid  rivers.  Besides,  you 
well  know,  that  our  river  is  properly  but  an  estuary 
as  far  as  the  outlet  of  the  Mohock  ;  and  the  strata  of 
schistic  rocks  which  cross  it  above  the  junction  of 
that  river,  are  generally  more  shallow,  than,  perhaps, 
the  salmon  would  like.  And,  further,  the  Dutch 
word  1  salm'  or  *  salmpie,'  commonly  in  use  to  sig- 
nify salmon,  means  also,  in  ordinary  and  loose  con- 
versation and  composition,  trout, 

D 


26 


There  are,  still,  other  considerations  unfavourable 
to  the  abundance  of  salmon  in  our  river,  as  you  quote 
from  Hudson's  journal.  They  are  those  which  relate 
to  the  Herring,  the  Shad,  and  the  Sturgeon, 
the  annual  visitants  of  this  stream,  at  Albany  and 
higher.  Whatever  may  be  the  opinion  of  specula- 
tive men,  as  to  the  governing  principle  of  these 
creatures,  whether  it  be  instinct  or  reason,  the  fact 
nevertheless  is,  that  they  select  very  proper  places  to 
deposit  their  spawn,  and  perpetuate  their  race.  In 
our  river,  these  three  species  of  fish,  had  each  an  ap- 
propriate place  for  the  great  work  of  multiplication. 

The  grand  rendezvous  of  the  herrings,  was  the 
Saratoga  lake  ;  into  which  they  entered  by  its  outlet, 
yet  called  lish-creek.  The  obstruction  of  this  pas- 
sage by  dams  and  artificial  impediments,  has  turned 
the  herrings  from  their  favourite  haunt.  The  inha- 
bitants of  the  neighbouring  region  have,  thereby,  been 
deprived  of  their  yeaii)  treat  of  herrings.  But,  more 
than  this,  the  herrings  dius  dispossessed  and  discou- 
raged, have  become  more  rare  in  the  river,  and  are  de- 
serting it  in  proportion  to  the  want  of  accommodation 
it  affords  them.  It  is  reported,  that  th  course  of  the 
herrings  was  more  especially  on  the  west  side  of  the 
river. 

The  shad  travelled  along  the  eastern  shore.  Their 
chief  place  of  resort  was  the  basin  at  the  foot  of 
Fort  Edward  falls. 

"  No  particular  path  in  the  river  was  selected  by 
the  sturgeons.  They  seem  to  have  swam  at  large,  as 
they  do  at  present.  But  they  assembled  for  the  pro- 
pagation of  their  kind  at  the  bottom  of  the  Cahoes, 
or  great  falls  of  the  Mohock.  The  roes  or  eggs  of 
the  sturgeon,  are  exceedingly  numerous,  amounting 
to  a  large  mass  of  spawn.  You  recollect  that  the 
Russian  cavear  is  made  of  them.  Other  n\hes  are 
fond  of  feeding  on  them ;  they  eat  it  with  remarka- 
ble voracity.  It  is  one  of  the  most  alluring  baits  that 
anglers  can  use.  The  abundance  of  this  exquisite 
food  at  the  breeding  season,  is  supposed  o  be  a 
principal  inducement  for  the  basse  or  rockfish,  to  fol- 


27 


low  the  sturgeons  to  their  place  of  deposit.  The 
disturbance  the  sturgeons  have  experienced  in  the 
progress  of  settlement,  has  diminished  their  numbers 
exceedingly;  and  the  basse  has  become  proportion- 
ally rare. 

Now,  with  all  this  information  relative  to  the 
several  sorts  of  fish,  that  have  frequented  the  Hudson, 
since  the  possession  of  its  banks  by  European  emi- 
grants, there  are  no  regular  notices  of  salmon. 
Neither  a  swimming-course,  nor  a  breeding-place  has 
been  detected.  It  is,  therefore,  a  fair  presumption, 
that  these  fishes  never  found  within  its  waters  suffi- 
cient inducement  to  visit  them  in  great  numbers,  or 
at  regular  times,  and  that  those  which  have  been 
taken  are  merely  strays  and  wanderers.  I  beg  you 
to  accept  my  friendly  salutations. 

SAMl.  l.  mitchill. 

Rev.  Dr.  Miller. 

(Note  B.) 

Alba7iy,  March  3,  1810. 

My  dear  Friend, 

The  names  of  the  rivers  Mohock  and  Hudson, 
as  they  are  extant  among  the  Iroquois,  have  engaged 
my  attention,  since  the  receipt  of  your  late  letter, 
prompting  me  to  make  inquiry  concerning  them. 
My  opportunities  have  been  very  favourable.  Mr. 
John  Bleecker,  the  ancient  indian  interpreter,  now  in 
the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age,  was  well  enough 
to  receive  a  visit  from  me  this  morning,  and  in  pos- 
session of  his  full  recollection  as  to  what  I  asked  of 
him.  On  seeing  me,  he  instantly,  and  without  hesi- 
tation, pronounced  my  name,  with  a  remembrance 
that  he  had  been  acquainted  with  me  at  Fort  Schuy- 
ler, in  1788,  when  the  five  nations  sold  their  lands  to 
the  state  of  New- York.  I  have  also  seen  colonel 
Louis,  the  distinguished  Indian  warrior,  who  is  now 
in  Albany,  and  have  sought  information  from  him. 
Jacob  Dochstetter,  the  present  Oneida  interpreter, 
like  wise  gave  me  all  the  opportunity  I  wished  of  con- 
versing with  him,  while  he  was  attending  with  his 


2H 


countrymen,  a  treaty  with  the  commissioners  appoint- 
ed on  the  part  of  the  state. 

From  these  several  persons  I  have  obtained  the 
following  words,  which  I  immediately  committed  to 
writing,  and  corrected  as  well  as  I  could,  by  many 
repetitions  from  the  mouths  of  the  speakers.  Though, 
I  ought  to  observe,  that  there  are  a  few  sounds  which 
the  letters  of  our  alphabet  are  incapable  of  expressing. 

Canneogahakalononitade — the  Mohock  river. 

Skenectadea — the  city  of  Albany. 

Ohnowalagantle — the  town  of  Schenectady. 

Cahohatatea — the  North  or  Hudson  River. 

Skenectadea,  Cahohatatea — the  North  River,  spo- 
ken of  in  relation  to  Albany  or  Albany  River. 

Tioghsahronde — the  place  or  places  at  which 
streams  empty  themselves. 

Tioghsahronde,  Cahohatatea — the  North  River 
spoken  of  in  relation  to  the  Mohock,  the  water- vliet- 
kill,  the  norman's  kill,  and  the  other  streams  which 
discharge  into  it. 

The  name  for  our  North  River,  in  the  tongue  of 
the  Iroquois,  strikes  my  ear  very  agreeably ;  Caho- 
hatatea. 

You  may  contrast  this  with  the  Mohegan  name  for 
the  same  river,  given  me  this  day  by  John  Taylor, 
Esq.  a  gentleman  long  conversant  in  the  Indian  affairs 
of  New- York  ;  Mah akaneghtuc. 

What  their  etymologies  are,  I  have  not  been  able 
to  ascertain,  except  as  to  Skenectadea,  Albany;  which 
signifies  the  place  the  natives  of  the  Iroquois  arrived 
at,  by  travelling  through  the  pine-trees. 
Truly  and  affectionately  yours, 

SAMl.  l.  mitchill, 

Rev.  Samuel  Miller,  D.  D.  &c. 

The  information,  that  Shatemuck  was  one  of  the 
Mahiccan  names  of  the  river  Hudson,  was  received 
from  the  Hon.  Egbert  Benson,  Esq. 


